It’s that time of month again, time to write about the tree I started following in March this year. My corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’) is looking about as tired as the rest of the garden — late August and early September are not prime times at Glen Villa.
Something is eating the hazel leaves.
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| Something likes the leaves of this corkscrew hazel. They are welcome to it. |
The leaves are looking decidedly weary. Not to mention spotty and full of holes.
So instead of writing about this unattractive tree, I’m writing about some of beauties in the garden and in the fields. Leading down the garden path (or the garden steps, if you want to be precise) is an array of coneflowers that give pleasure year after year.
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| Coneflowers started to bloom in mid-July and are still at it, at the beginning of September. |
A path of another kind is the swirl of colour we call the dragon’s tail. In late August, the astilbe were in full bloom. They look a bit faded now, two weeks later…
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| This is a late blooming variety of astilbe, A. chinensis ‘Veronica Klose.’ |
but the bergenia in the lower garden have decided to bloom for a second time. A nice surprise.
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| Who said Bergenia would bloom only in early summer? |
Nearby, in the moisture of a weedy ditch, a cardinal flower (lobelia cardinalis) is doing its stuff.
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| Cardinal flowers never last long in my garden. Do the deer eat them or are they simply short-lived perennials? |
In the Aqueduct pool, the Mukdenia is starting to fulfill the promise of its varietal name, Crimson Fans.
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| The red colouring is ok, but the rest of the plant looks rather sickly. I hope this isn’t a forecast of what is to come. |
Changing colour themes, from pink/red to yellow, is the goldenrod that is now blooming prolifically in every field.
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| I love goldenrod. It is such a cheery shade of yellow. |
Paths through the woods and field are edged by a profusion of white asters…
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| It’s impossible to say which variety of aster this is. At least, impossible for me. |
that look particularly attractive after a heavy rain.
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| No need to identify the variety… only to enjoy the fragile blooms. |
White is the dominant colour now. Hydrangeas by the front steps are attracting bees.
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| Bees and wasps and hornets all seem to enjoy the hydrangea’s nectar. |
Snakeroot (Cimicifuga racemosa) is scenting the air.
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| Insects congregate on this snakeroot as well. Check out the yellow stripes: is that a paper wasp? |
Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carotais) dots the fields.
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| Wikipedia tells me that the Queen Anne in question was from Denmark, wife of James I of Scotland. |
along with occasional clumps of Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes).
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| These flowers are a type of wild orchid. |
Rounding out the colour wheel, New England and other asters add a touch of blue.
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| Can anyone tell me what type of aster this is? |
It’s easy to ignore the corkscrew hazel when so many more attractive things present themselves. But the wilt on its leaf tells me something I’d rather not hear. Cooler weather is coming. I can feel it in the air at night. (Does a song come to mind?)
I haven’t been waiting for this all my life. Not at all. It’s WAY too soon to say goodbye to summer. But clearly autumn is on its way.
